Monday, January 30, 2012

FELICITY OGILVIE: Dr McPhaden says the scientists were surprised to find a link between climate change and the changes in the currents.

MICHAEL MCPHADEN: We always knew that the western boundary currents of the world's oceans were hot spots for ocean circulation but now we are finding they are hot spots for climate change and the combination is very much a surprise to us. [Hat tip: M. Hulme]

The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) predicts severe cold to continue until at least next weekend. Early Monday, a new cold record for this winter was set in Kuhmo, where the mercury plunged to -35.4 degrees Celsius.

A recent study at Brown University looked specifically at the Obama administration's language and calls for "clean energy" and "energy independence" now occupied the terrain. Graciela Kincaid, a co-author of the study, wrote: "The phrases 'climate change' and 'global warming' have become all but taboo on Capitol Hill. These terms are stunningly absent from the political arena".

My colleague Maria Mansfield and I monitor 50 major newspapers in 20countries, and we documented that explicit mentions of “climate change” and “global warming” dropped by more than a third from 2010 to 2011.